Reopen Ombudsman case vs Neri, De la Paz

In an effort to punish the culprits and recover the over P300 million in emoluments that former Social Security System presidents Romulo Neri and Corazon de la Paz pocketed as their own, per findings of a Senate investigation headed by Sen. Franklin Drilon, the Philippine Association of Retired Persons filed on Dec. 6, 2010, a complaint in the Office of the Ombudsman (Case No. CPL-C-10-2276).

After more than three years of investigation, the Ombudsman approved its own field investigators’ report on June 26, 2014, reading as follows:

“Although the investigators (of the Ombudsman) are inclined to agree with the stand of the COA with respect to … the alleged pocketed stock dividends and proceeds of the Stock Options subject of the demand letters of the SSS, the filing of the appropriate criminal and/or administrative complaints against the concerned SSC and SSS officials would be premature in view of the demand letters and the appeals before the COA proper.

“It is most respectfully recommended that the investigation of the case be CLOSED AND TERMINATED without prejudice to its reopening depending upon the final outcome of the administrative remedies/demand letters being undertaken by the SSS…”

We noted that there was no deadline set for the settlement of the demand of the SSS; thus it is an open-ended conditional dismissal of our case, which amounts to an unmitigated denial of the plea of the retirees for redress.

Second, would a settlement of the demand of the SSS make the dismissal of our case final? If so, what about the criminal act committed? Is it okay for the Ombudsman if robbers caught in the act just returned the loot, or the victim just said “sige na lang, it’s not my money anyway” if the loot cannot be returned? What about the deprived hapless owners—the SSS members and the retirees?

We demand that the Ombudsman reopen the case irrespective of the result of the administrative remedies and demand letters undertaken by the SSS.

—AMADO F. CABAERO, founding chair and past national president, Philippine Association of Retired Persons, [email protected]